2014 Elections

UPDATED: Gov. Greg Abbott announced Friday that Feb. 17 will be the runoff date for three special elections — Senate District 26, House District 17 and House District 123. Early voting will be Feb. 9-13.

Attorney General Greg Abbott, who was elected Texas governor, waves to supporters after his victory speech in Austin on Nov. 4, 2014.

Republicans didn't just win their statewide elections earlier this month — they won in ways that only become apparent when you dig into the numbers. In many counties, the Democrats could not attract more than one voter in five.

A new batch of statewide officeholders is preparing to take over Texas government, throwing the "who you know" politics of the Capitol into turmoil. But the biggest change is the Legislature's chance to reassert its traditional power.

State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte D-San Antonio, the 2014 Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, hugs one of her grandsons during a campaign event on June 4, 2014, in Austin.

State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte's losing campaign for lieutenant governor might have set the stage for a bid for mayor of San Antonio — a prospect she is considering now. Sometimes losing can set up the next campaign.

Thousands of Texans who voted in 2010 did not come back to do it again in 2014, and most of those voted for the Democratic candidate for governor four years ago. At the same time, another kind of voting — mail ballots — is booming.